


Chit Chat

by EmaniaHilel



Series: After-Hours [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Companion Piece, F/M, Romance, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 16:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17186180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmaniaHilel/pseuds/EmaniaHilel
Summary: Sister-Story to "Chatting Up" - the exchange in "Chatting Up" through Adrien's POV.





	Chit Chat

_Chit Chat  
By Emania_

__

_She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket._  
Raymond Chandler

Adrien heard the muted thrum of the phone as it vibrated against the linoleum top of the makeup desk behind him, but he was so engrossed in the words before him that he didn’t look up. Plagg – who had become amazingly adept at going about his business while Adrien was on set (because, ‘no way am I going to stay cooped up in your pocket for hours upon hours upon hours while you prance around in front of a camera!’) -- floated over just as the screen’s illumination turned off.

He had been able to see who the message was from, however. 

He smirked to himself and sat on the backrest of the chair just behind Adrien’s right shoulder. “You might want to get that,” Plagg yawned before curling up and closing his eyes. 

Plagg’s voice always drew Adrien away from what he was doing, but he often found he could ignore the little kwami without much trouble. Still, something about the tone of Plagg’s voice pricked Adrien’s senses. He put the bookmark -- a folded up flyer for a gaming competition at the new arcade in the 9th arrondissement he wanted to show Max -- and closed the book, turning back to pick up the phone off the counter behind him. 

He swiped right with his thumb and quickly entered his code, then swiped down from the top of the screen to see his incoming messages, and smiled.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Plagg said, even though to the best of Adrien’s knowledge, the kwami hadn’t opened his eyes. 

Throwing a suspicious glance at Plagg, Adrien turned in the seat and shielded the phone’s screen the best he could from his kwami’s inspection. 

>Hey Adrien! Are you busy? If you are, no worries. Just ignore me.<

Was he busy? He chuckled and looked around him, his eyes landing on where the photographer for today’s shoot was still arguing the merits of Veolia water over Perrier so vehemently that he hadn’t let the poor assistant actually go and get his water. 

He shook his head and responded.

>Hey Marinette! Actually, not busy right now. What’s up?<

He watched the screen for a few moments, musing on how glad he was that Marinette seemed to have warmed up towards him enough to actually text him now. 

He waited for a few moments, then frowned when she didn’t reply. Maybe she had needed him and he took too long to respond? He scrolled up a little to check on the time her text had come in and compared it to the time his text came in…

Seven minutes. Maybe…

He shook his head and laughed to himself. Actually, considering it was Marinette, anything could’ve happened from her having gone back to sewing something to her being on a precarious spot in a game or maybe she was just getting a head start on their World History homework that was due next week or…

Actually, she was probably in the middle of drawing some new sketch and completely forgot she had texted him. He thought about letting her be, but then he looked up and saw the harried assistant making frantic gestures to another assistant across the room, trying to get him to go get the water the photographer wanted and he knew he wouldn’t have much more time to chat with her. 

So, he texted her again. 

>Everything ok?<

Her reply came almost immediately. 

>Yes, everything fine! How are you?<

He realized he read that in Marinette’s bright, perky voice in his head and grinned. He started to type,

>I’m good, thanks! Just reading your—

But a new text from Marinette cut his train of thought off. 

>I’m sorry if I am bothering you - aren’t you in lessons or working or something today?<

He looked around himself again and deleted the text he had been composing. Marinette was really a very sweet girl, always concerned about other people. He didn’t really realize it, but he was grinning as he responded.

>Not bothering me. I’m supposed to be shooting a perfume ad, but the photographer is taking issue with the spring water on set, and is refusing to work until the right kind is brought for him.<

He read over his text and wished he had Alya’s way with words – he wasn’t very good at telling a story, but if Alya were telling how the photographer was getting redder and redder and actually pulling the assistant back every time he tried to get away, meanwhile the sub-assistant was completely oblivious to the assistant’s trying to get his attention – well, Marinette would’ve been laughing that cute laugh of hers.

He turned back to the phone. 

>So, I was just reading your book, actually. It really is very good!<

“Psh,” Plagg’s voice came at his ear and Adrien started. “You two are soooo boring!” he exclaimed only loud enough for Adrien to hear him. 

“Plagg,” Adrien sighed. “You know you’re not supposed to be—“

“I know, I know,” the kwami shrugged. “But you should really liven up the conversation there, kid, or you two will never—“

The soft thrum of his phone vibrating cut Plagg off and Adrien looked down at the screen.

>That reads like surprise…were you doubting my reading tastes? O.o<

Adrien grinned.

“Well, well!” Plagg said, pleasantly surprised. 

Adrien looked at Plagg who grinned at him and waggled his eyebrows. 

“Aw, come on, kid,” Plagg groused. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize flirting when it’s smacking ya in the face?”

Adrien frowned and looked back at the phone. She wasn’t flirting…was she?

Marinette wasn’t the type to flirt. He’d never really seen her be flirtatious with anyone, even when Nathaniel was so obvious about liking her, or when he flirted with her pretty insistently as Chat. 

“She’s not flirting,” Adrien said, more to himself really than to Plagg. “Marinette isn’t the type to flirt like that.”

“Maybe she isn’t the type to just flirt with any boy around, but you aren’t just any boy, are you?”

Adrien looked back at the text.

“Only one way to know, kid,” Plagg goaded, motioning to the phone with his chin. “Go on, lay a little Chat on her.”

Adrien flushed and started to shake his head, but then he thought of the perfect response to her text – if he was Chat, anyway. 

>Question the reading tastes of the girl who admitted to actually having enjoyed The Mortal Instruments? O.O Me? Neeeever.<

He held his breath and waited for her response. And then the blood drained from his veins and he blanched, exhaling sharply. _Oh, merde,_ he thought as he remembered that the conversation she’d had with Alya about the Mortal Instruments had been had only with Alya – he and Nino had been sitting in front of them during study period and he had overhead the whispered argument about the book, making note of it because he had remembered picking up that book in the bookstore and being put off by the super cheesy cover.

If she remembered the conversation he was talking about, she would certainly know he wasn’t part of that conversation and what if she realizes that he sometimes liked to listen in to her and Alya’s mundane conversations? Not because he was creepy or anything, but he just…well, he liked her laugh. And she had a really cute way of expressing herself – at least, when she wasn’t talking directly to him. And—

_Forget about thinking about that and focus on how to fix this, Agreste!_ He chastised himself. 

Trying not to show how panicked he actually was, he typed the first thing that came to mind before she had too much time to think about what he’d typed or an opportunity to really question him about it. 

>It’s a really interesting book, anyway, Mari. Thank you for loaning it to me.<

He waited for a few moments with baited breath for her response. Would she question him about it? Would she not? 

>Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.<

He exhaled in relief and looked quickly at Plagg, who was curled up on the edge of the chair again, pretending not to be aware of what was going on. 

Relieved to be off such shaky ground, Adrien hurried to respond.

>I do! Very much. I think Millard is my favorite character so far.<

And the invisible boy was his favorite. His sense of humor and the way he had taken to using his peculiarity to help him get through the repetitiveness of his day really struck a chord with him. 

>I like him a lot too. But Bronwyn is my favorite, I think.<

>I don’t think I’ve met her yet. I’m only by Chapter 5<

>You’ll meet her soon.<

He grinned, thoroughly enjoying having a conversation with Marinette. He knew she was kind and quick witted, she had shown that often enough in a million little ways around school and with their friends. But he was glad to have his suspicion that that had a lot in common confirmed. 

There was a lull in the conversation and Adrien considered going back to his book. He turned back to the book on his lap and jumped a little to find Plagg perched there. He scowled at him. 

“Hadn’t you been curious about why she left so quickly after school today?” Plagg prompted. 

Adrien considered.

“Don’t say you weren’t, because it was all you were mumbling about the whole time you were walking to the car and you were so quiet after wards, I know it stuck with you.”

Adrien sighed. “I can’t ask her that,” he said quietly. “I mean, there must’ve been something that happened, or…”

“Whatever,” Plagg said dismissively.

Adrien looked down at the phone and sighed, then, before he could talk himself out of it, he typed quickly.

>You ran off kind of fast today after school, I hope nothing’s wrong.<

He regretted it almost as soon as he hit send, but he really regretted it the longer it took Marinette to respond. 

By the time he saw the little dots on the bottom of the screen start to undulate, he was about ready to type a retraction. He might’ve anyway, having started to type that she didn’t have to answer that as he understood that it wasn’t any of his business when her response came through.

>I was actually writing to apologize for that<

He gaped at the words on the screen. Apologize? What did _she_ have to apologize for? She lent him a really good book, and she went out of her way to bring it for him and hand it to him…he shook his head and typed a response.

>Apologize for what?<

He watched as the dots began undulating almost immediately, but one of the photographer’s assistants came up to him to ask him if he wanted anything to drink or eat while he was waiting. He took a few moments to talk to him and make sympathetic noises about what it feels like to work with someone as demanding as the photographer, so he didn’t get to look at the text as soon as he felt the vibration. 

>For leaving so abruptly<

He took a moment to remember the exchange and frowned. Yes, she had left right after giving him the book without saying more than two words to him, but Marinette always seemed to be _rushing_ somewhere. If she wasn’t rushing into class, she was rushing off for break or rushing off in the middle of one of their activities…he hadn’t really thought it was strange—

Well, if he was honest with himself, he did remember being disappointed. When he saw her hand him the book, he had a moment of expecting a bit of a conversation with her about it, maybe asking her how it was and whether she had enjoyed it, but she had rushed off again. It wasn’t anything she had to apologize for, but—

His thoughts were cut off by the vibration of the phone in his hands and a new message from Marinette coming in.

>I was very rude, and I’m sorry, but I had to hurry home to help out my parents at the patisserie for a bit.<

He smiled, of course she had a reason for it. He never doubted that she would. And he was glad that nothing was wrong, but she hadn’t been rude.

He turned back to the phone, about to answer when he heard someone calling his name and felt Plagg zoom back into his bag. 

“Adrien, _chérie_ ,” came the dulcet tones of Anne-Marie, his father’s on site wardrobe specialist. “May I see you for _un petite minute_?” she asked sweetly. “I wish to take a moment to check on the drape of the jacket you are meant to wear in the next set.”

Adrien stood up and put the phone down on the chair he had been sitting on, on top of the book and walked the few feet to where the wardrobe department had set up camp. One of Anne-Marie’s assistants helped him into the jacket and Anne-Marie turned him around to face the light, then turned him this way and that, manipulating his arms to check the way the jacket draped and moved, talking softly with her assistants. 

Used to being nothing more than a moving mannequin during these fittings, Adrien allowed his mind to wander and the longer it took, the more Adrien thought over Marinette’s words. It occurred to him, once again, how very different Marinette was from other girls he had been used to. She hadn’t really done anything wrong, except cut her conversation short with him. Yes, he had wondered whether something was wrong, but Marinette tended to do everything suddenly and energetically, so he hadn’t felt slighted. 

Still, she apologized. 

He found himself smiling. He remembered a time, not so long ago, when she wouldn’t have thought to apologize to him. Not that she _had_ anything to apologize for, but the fact she was worried about his feelings was progress. 

“See?” Anne-Marie was saying, “Even Adrien likes it this way, he is smiling!” 

Adrien checked back into the conversation around him and looked down at what they’d done to the jacket. The third button from the top was buttoned, the collar was slightly up, the sleeves were turned up twice on each wrist and he was wearing a tie. He blinked and although he remained smiling, it was a bit more bemused. 

“I do like it,” Adrien confirmed. 

“ _Bon_ ,” Anne-Marie declared, motioning to her assistants who went about taking it off him. “If this photographer decides to stop being a diva and get on with the photo shoot, we know how we will present it,” she decided, shooing him. “You may go back to playing games on your phone.”

Adrien didn’t bother correcting her, but went back to his seat, took up his phone and frowned as soon as he unlocked the screen. >It’s fine.< He turned around to glare at Plagg who was peeking out of his bag. 

“You don’t know girls, Adrien,” Plagg stated. “She was going to worry that you didn’t answer after she apologized, so I answered.”

“Sure, in a way that comes off as upset,” Adrien added.

Plagg shrugged. “It’s not like I had time to compose an ode or anything,” he said dismissively. 

He thought about explaining how that was the wrong thing to do, but decided to try to fix it with Marinette first.

>Sorry, I got called away by the wardrobe department and they took away my phone for a fitting.<

He hit enter and started typing his next message when hers came through.

>I’m sorry, don’t mean to get you in trouble!<

He grinned down at the words, imagining the cute little furrow her brow would probably have gotten and he hurried to respond so she didn’t worry. He copied the first part of the text he had been composing and wrote a quick one.

>Oh, you didn’t!<

Then, he copied the text he had started to write and completed it, hitting send.

>I was trying to say that I didn’t think you having to run off was rude, and that I’m just glad everything’s ok<

He waited a moment, and the little dots started at the bottom of the screen.

>It was totally rude, but thanks for understanding.<

He grinned and typed his response.

>Of course<

There was a pause and he didn’t see the dots start up again, so he wondered if that was it. It was obviously what she had texted him to say, so now that she’d said it, would she end the conversation? When he texted with Nino and they reached a spot like this, they would usually just stop without saying goodbye or anything like that, which he always found rather weird, but it was just the way it was, according to Nino. He wondered if she would just let it go or if she would say anything more. 

He didn’t want to stop talking to her. But, would he have to?

He glanced up at where the Photographer was now complaining about the ice used in his glass. 

That would take another twenty minutes at least. Twenty minutes he could keep talking to her, but, how to continue the conversation?

He looked around for Plagg, but he was grooming himself and completely oblivious. So oblivious, that he knocked against the book Marinette had loaned him and the book almost fell off the table. Adrien caught it with one hand and inspiration struck. 

>Can I ask you something?<

When she didn’t respond right away, Adrien frowned and re-read his text, wondering if he’d said something wrong. 

He had yet to reach a conclusion when Marinette’s text came through.

>Sure?<

He smiled and typed out his question.

>Do you think it’s weird that Emma seems to have a thing for Jake after having had a thing with his grandfather?<

Although not the most burning question he’d ever had, it had occurred to him to wonder as he read. Sure, he definitely shipped Emma/Jacob, but it still made him wonder if Emma was maybe transferring her affection for his grandfather to Jacob and he wondered what her thoughts were on the subject. So much so, he couldn’t help adding.

>It’s weird, right?<

He heard Plagg scoff from next to him and turned to see the little kwami roll his eyes, mumbling something about _don’t care what she says, they’re never going to work this shit out on their own_ as he flew back to the comfort of the bag.

Adrien frowned and was about to ask what he was talking about when Marinette’s reply came through.

>I guess I’m a romantic at heart, so it doesn’t really bother me.<

Adrien grinned at her response, imagining the smile on her lips as she wrote it. And then he re-read it and wondered whether she was trying to imply he wasn’t a romantic because it did seem weird to him. So, he typed a defense.

>Hey! I’m a romantic, too!<

Her response came almost immediately and it made him laugh.

>Sure, sure.<

That didn’t mean he was going to let her get away with the implied slight, however. 

>Oh? O.O Are you challenging me _again_ , Mlle. Marinette?<

He held his breath and waited to see what she did with that response. When a minute passed and she still hadn’t responded, he re-read his words, wondering if he’d pushed it too far.

>You still haven’t proven it by my count.<

He grinned an almost feral grin, feeling almost the way he felt when he riding the high of the Miraculous and running over rooftops. He shot off a quick reply, without even really thinking.

>Oh, is that right?!<

And then again.

>Who ran away from whom?<

As soon as he typed it, he broke out in a cold sweat. _Merde_ , he thought. That was really pushing it too far. 

Would she even understand he was just teasing her or would she think he was blaming her for leaving? 

_Good going, Agreste, he chastised himself. She was just apologizing for that and you go and rub it in her face. She doesn’t know your sense of humor yet!_

He was thinking frantically of what to say to _fix it_ when her reply came through. He braced himself to apologize and read.

>I find it hard to believe you’d have enough time to prove you could be romantic when you had to rush off to work yourself. -_- <

He almost choked on his own saliva in surprise, then he laughed. And then, he _grinned_.

>You might have a point.<

He gave her a moment to bask in his concession, and then he struck.

>So, meet me at the Ten Belles in the 10e arrondissement tomorrow at around noon and I’ll be happy to prove it to you.<

He sat back with the same sort of triumph he feels after a plan has come together particularly well during a chess match and he can see the clear path to the check-mate, knowing his opponent can’t avoid it. 

But the longer it took her to respond, the more that glow faded and doubt replaced it. 

What had come over him, he wondered? The girl reaches out to him once and the next thing he knows, he’s daring her to go out on a date with him. 

He really has no experience asking girls out.

Especially girls like Marinette.

Sweet and innocent and good hearted.

His phone vibrated and he looked down eagerly at her words.

>Jaja. You don’t have to prove yourself to me.<

He read her response and sighed. She took it as a joke.

He should be glad, but…

>How about if I want to?<

He held his breath, waiting for her response, thinking that if she takes it as a joke again, he’d leave it be.

When he had to breath or risk passing out, and she had yet to respond, he exhaled sharply and decided to take it as a sign. So, maybe she wasn’t taking it as a joke anymore, but maybe he didn’t have to be as blunt as he had been. 

>Seriously, meet me for a coffee?<

He waited a moment, re-reading his text, before giving in and texting again.

>We can talk about the book…I’m sure I’ll be done by then and I don’t know anyone else who’s read it.<

Plagg was reading over his shoulder again and scoffed…again. “Coward,” he called as he flew back. 

Adrien ignored him and typed _again_.

>I can already tell this will be a book I will have to discuss with someone.<

He waited another few seconds before something else occurred to him. Maybe she had other plans? 

>Unless you have some other plan?<  
>Sorry, I should’ve asked first if you were busy.<

Her reply _finally_ came through almost immediately after his last one. 

>No, not busy at all.<

He read it and wondered whether that was confirmation that she’d meet him for coffee or not. Plagg was right, he really _didn’t_ know girls. He tried to think of a smooth way to ask when she wrote again.

>I’d like to meet you at Ten Belles. I haven’t been there before.<

He read her second text and smiled a little. So, maybe he wasn’t very good at asking a girl out on a date, but he was at least successful in asking a friend out for coffee to discuss a book they’ve mutually read.

>Great!<  
>I think you’ll love it.<

So, what if she wasn’t sure he was asking her out on a date…that didn’t mean…

>I trust you.<

Adrien’s mouth gaped open at her response and he felt warmth creep through him. She _trusted_ him. That was a _long_ way from shooting him dirty looks because she thought he’d put gum on her seat.

> ^_^. Is 10 too early?<

“Way to play it cool, Casanova,” Plagg commented dryly.

Adrien frowned and added a quick text.

>I have a very early morning shoot near there which should be done right around then.<

Which was true. He did have an early morning shoot.

Plagg scoffed again. “Sure,” he said laughing.

“I do!” Adrien defended.

>I’ll be there.<

Marinette’s response interrupted anything else he might’ve said to his Kwami because he was grinning too wide to chastise him appropriately. 

>I’ll see you tomorrow then!<

He replied, then wondered what else to say. 

“Adrien!” the photographer’s assistant called. “We’re ready for you on set.”

Adrien looked up and saw the photographer picking up his camera and speaking to his assistant to set up lighting. He waved to the assistant calling him to show he’d heard, and typed a quick message to Marinette.

>I actually have to go – photographer got his water, so it’s time to go to work! :) <

Maybe the smilie face was too much, but he couldn’t help it. 

>Ok, see you tomorrow! Have a great shoot!<

He re-read Marinette’s text twice before he saw the assistant start toward him out of the corner of his eye and typed a quick reply.

>Thanks!<

He set his phone down and walked over to the set, grinning widely. 

“Good news?” the assistant asked as he approached. 

“Yep,” was all Adrien answered as he allowed the wardrobe department to put the jacket back on him and the hair stylists fix his hair, wanting the shoot to be over and done with so he could get back to reading. He had a book to finish before tomorrow, after all.


End file.
